NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, speaks to reporters as he exits the United States District Court Southern District of New York for a hearing related to Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal attorney and confidante, April 16, 2018 in New York City. Cohen and lawyers representing President Trump are asking the court to block Justice Department officials from reading documents and materials related to Cohen’s relationship with President Trump that they believe should be protected by attorney-client privilege. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen’s office and two private residences last week. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

One thing the Stormy Daniels affair has done is validate any and all negative stereotypes you might have had about the legal profession… and porn stars, for that matter. First was President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who had been revealed to be a prolific hustler selling influence he does not appear to have for seven-figure amounts. Not to be outdone is the lawyer hired by Stormy Daniels to bring her notoriety and revitalize her career.

Avenatti, who is not retained by Daniels even though he is representing her, has turned his association with Daniels into a publicity juggernaut:

Ridiculous over coverage and free publicity! #massmedia #cablenews https://t.co/9XWVGGGwxX

— Steve Seidman (@SteveSeidman1) May 14, 2018

Stormy Daniels' lawyer earned estimated $174 billion of free media on CNN and MSNBC since March: report https://t.co/abZ8mDQ0D6 pic.twitter.com/6G98tekwig

— The Hill (@thehill) May 11, 2018

With exposure has come, well, exposure. Some comes from traditional media.

By the way, much of what we know about some of @MichaelAvenatti business practices comes from this @seattletimes piece from last month: https://t.co/W7DlbiMbK9 pic.twitter.com/7gOvgQY2EI

— Byron York (@ByronYork) May 14, 2018

But a lot of that has been via Peter Hasson and Joe Simonson writing in the Daily Caller.

They’ve chronicled how Avenatti released bank transactions on the wrong Michael Cohen. And how the Treasury IG is now investigating which law enforcement agency who gave Cohen’s financial records to the media. They’ve reported on Avenatti’s shady, if banal, business practices.
The uncovered the $5 million federal tax lien he has which includes siphoning off employee withholding tax.

Today, Avenatti reached the end of his rope. He threatened Hasson and Simonson with a ruinous lawsuit in an “off the record” email.

This is douchebaggery on an epic scale. Due to his own efforts, Avenatti has become the textbook definition of a public figure which means he’d have to not only prove what Daily Caller published was false but they knew it was false. And sending a threat to a reporter via email and marking it “off the record” is sort of waving-a-red-cape-at-a-bull act.

Here's a few observations about Michael Avenatti's legal threats today. /1

— ProfanityLadenTweetsHat (@Popehat) May 14, 2018

/2 It's perfectly possible — perhaps probable — that the Daily Caller article about him is a "hit piece." That doesn't mean it's defamatory or otherwise outside the protection of the First Amendment.

— ProfanityLadenTweetsHat (@Popehat) May 14, 2018

/3 Avenatti's threat carries at least three signs of bogosity:
1. He demands that the recipient keep his legal threat confidential;
2. He offers only vague conclusions that the article is defamatory;
3. His threats are extravagant.

— ProfanityLadenTweetsHat (@Popehat) May 14, 2018

/4 In fact, Avenatti's email is a fairly classic example of a threat that undermines itself through its anger, ambiguity, and self-importance. He may sue, but the communication supports the inference that the suit will be bogus.

— ProfanityLadenTweetsHat (@Popehat) May 14, 2018

/5 In short, between this and other recent conduct, the threat demonstrates that anti-Trump vigor — like pro-Trump vigor — is not a good reason to put credulous trust in someone. Exercise skepticism, particularly with the media-hungry.

— ProfanityLadenTweetsHat (@Popehat) May 14, 2018

This is going to get a lot better before Peak Avenatti is reached.